


Minute Suite

by RoseThornhill



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Sharing a Bed, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 18:52:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18531061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseThornhill/pseuds/RoseThornhill
Summary: Written for the 2019 X-Files Easter Fanfic Exchange. My story was for Minuete, who didn't offer a prompt.After an exhausting case, Mulder and Scully get stuck in an airport together. They rent a sleep pod for a few hours... sharing a bed trope ensues.Set during an indeterminate time frame in an early season, no later than early season five.





	Minute Suite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Minuete](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minuete/gifts).



Mulder and Scully didn't say a word to one another as they waited in an obscenely long line, trying to schedule a new flight home. They were both exhausted and in foul moods. They had spent three days in Nevada on a frustrating case, and ended up getting nowhere on it. The officials they dealt with were rude, demeaning, and, frankly, stupid. The agents got little sleep, and though the mild desert climate was a welcome departure from the frigid air back in D.C., Scully was dreaming of curling up in her cozy bed and sleeping the whole weekend.

But alas, it was not destined to be.

The blizzard at home shut down virtually all travel to the East coast. Their connecting flight from Ohio had been cancelled around midnight because of inclement weather in the state. By the time they were cleared for liftoff here, landing in D.C. was a no-go. So here they were, at 3am, stuck in an airport, with nothing but vending machine snacks and each other to keep themselves entertained. And neither agent wanted to speak to the other.

After finding out from the gate agent that it would be another eight hours - minimum - to get a flight back home, Scully and Mulder sat, snacking on potato chips and gummy bears, avoiding looking at one another.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss your stupid sunflower seeds," Scully muttered as she gnawed through a slightly stale gummy bear.

Mulder glared at her and made a point to crunch his potato chips louder. Scully threw a gummy bear at him and sighed. They lapsed into silence again. As the silence between them stretched on, Mulder began to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to so much tension with Scully. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and saw that she no longer looked angry; just sad and tired.

“Come on. I have an idea.” Mulder grabbed Scully by the hand. Too exhausted and grumpy to fight back, she followed him through the airport. After what felt like an eternity, Mulder finally brought her to a desk, where a bored attendant sat behind a computer. “Two rooms, please.”

Scully looked at the sign. “Minute Suite.” According to the literature on the counter, these were mini rest/work rooms that could be rented by the hour. Complete with beds, desks, and doors that shut out the other angry passengers, it sounded like heaven to Scully.

The attendant typed in an absurd amount of information into the computer before coming back with the announcement: “Sorry, we only have one room available right now.”

Scully’s momentary hope evaporated. The hard expression she had been wearing returned. Mulder booked the room anyway, then offered it to Scully. “I can just lay down in the corner by the gate,” he said, trying desperately to wipe the grim look off her face. “Maybe my enormous height will trip a kid or two.”

Scully felt bad. He was trying. “No, Mulder, it’s fine. We can share the room.” 

The pair checked out the room at the end of a long hall. Scully was surprised. It was a lot smaller than she imagined. Maybe ten feet square, it resembled a prison cell. But a well-appointed prison cell. There was a small twin-sized cot, a desk, a television, and a basket full of amenities: bottled water, granola bars, aromatherapy candles, aspirin.

The agents stood there awkwardly, surveying their quarters for the next six hours or so. Mulder couldn't help but wonder how many layover lays this room has seen.

“You take the bed,” Scully insisted. “I want to try to get these reports done. The sooner they are finished, the sooner I can forget about this dreadful case.”

Mulder didn't argue. He shrugged off his jacket, loosened his tie, and kicked off his shoes. Scully sat down at the desk with her computer and got to work.

Scully couldn't have been working for more than twenty minutes when her brain just froze. She stared at the computer, looking at the last paragraph she wrote. She wasn't sure if her eyes couldn't make sense of the words, or if her fingers had typed nonsense. Either way, her brain was dead, and only sleep could resuscitate it.  

She glanced behind her, at Mulder's sleeping form. _Maybe in a couple hours, we can switch_ , she thought hopefully. In the meantime, she put her head down on the desk and tried to get some rest.

She must have dozed off, because suddenly she was woken by a sharp pain in her lower back. Sleeping slumped over a desk was not working out for her. Scully stood and attempted to stretch, but found it too painful. Instead, she tried to pace, but the size of the room only allowed her to take three steps before she had to turn around. She paced anyway.

The room began to feel like it was closing in on Scully. Her steps became angrier. She had to get out of this room, right now. _Right now._

Before she could actually open the door, Mulder woke. "Scully," he murmured groggily, "just lay down."

Scully was too aggravated to feel bad about waking Mulder. "Mulder, don't be ridiculous. I'm just going to go for a walk."

Mulder propped himself up a bit. "Scully. Lay down." He scooted back to make room for her on the tiny bed.

She sighed. "Mulder. That bed is barely large enough for a child. Plus, we are on a case. We could get in a lot of trouble if the Bureau found out we were even sharing this tiny little shoebox--"

"Scully," he interrupted her. "Lay down. The case is over. Technically, we are off the clock. We are both so exhausted we can't think straight. And frankly, it is hard to rest knowing you are so angry. So just come here. Lay down. I promise to be a gentleman."

Scully slumped where she stood. She couldn't argue anymore. Resigned, she lay down nervously beside him. 

"Good night, Scully."

"Good night, Mulder."

Within minutes, Scully could hear Mulder's breathing become slow, rhythmic. The breath of someone who was asleep. She lay tensely beside him, wondering how he could be so relaxed, how he could just fall asleep. _This is ridiculous_ , Scully thought. _I'm an adult. It should not be a big deal to share a bed with my platonic partner...._

***

Scully's sleep was plagued by tension nightmares. She dreamed of various monsters chasing her: the flukeman; a werewolf; evil clones; grey-skinned aliens. But what was more troubling was that she was alone. Mulder was nowhere to be found. She certainly didn't need him to save her; she saved herself in the face of each of these dream monsters. It was the aching loneliness that upset her. Where was her partner? Had something happened to him? Had she let him down?

Scully defeated each of her dream monsters and went to Mulder's apartment. He was safe and sound, asleep on the couch. She embraced him, and a peace filled her.

Her sleep became much more restful after that.

***

Scully woke slowly. She felt warm and comfortable in the small, uncomfortable bed. It took her a moment to figure out why: she was snuggled up against Mulder, who held her tightly as they slept. Uncertainty washed over her, negating some of the pleasantness she woke to. Was this appropriate? What did this mean for them as partners? What if the Bureau found out?

She shifted anxiously, wondering if she should get up. A peek at the clock showed they still had over an hour left in the room. In his sleep, Mulder adjusted to accommodate for her movement, but showed no signs of letting go. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. The steady rhythm was like a soothing metronome. His strong arms were wrapped around her, his fingers twitching lightly along her arm, making her feel immensely safe, calm... loved. She relaxed in his arms, and soon drifted off.

***

Mulder woke when Scully woke. However, he didn't let on that he was awake. He lay perfectly still, sensing Scully's tension and anxiety and waiting for her to make her decision. He hadn't intended to become entwined with her; he woke up like this, and it just felt _right_. Mulder didn't want to push his partner; he wasn't sure how she felt about him, but he knew he was in love with her. He just had to wait for Scully to decide how she felt.

And right now, it seemed that Scully was happy. He felt the tension leave her body, and she seemed to snuggle in even closer to him. He smiled into her hair, and fell back asleep, with Scully in his arms.


End file.
